


Skin Deep

by CountessMillarca



Series: The Mating Trials of a Futuristic Miko [3]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M, Humor, Romance, Sexual Tension, Smut, Spin-Off, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-12 04:55:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3344387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CountessMillarca/pseuds/CountessMillarca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagome's obligation to Sesshōmaru out of past camaraderie and sympathy to his predicament only extended so far. Oh, the things she did for obligation's sake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. All credit belongs to Takahashi Rumiko.
> 
> A/N: I did promise an Aoi/Kagome story, and I always deliver. This will be a two-shot. Enjoy the naughtiness. *cackles*

Aoi entered the council chamber with measured steps. His gaze rose to the dais the council members were seated, one brief glance, then his spine bent for a bow, deep and low.

"I trust you are aware of the reason for our summons?"

Lord Seiji's voice echoed through the spacious hall, no tolerance for insubordination in his tone. It was a question despite the peculiar phrasing, yet his words connoted there was only _one_ acceptable answer. Aoi's body unfurled in a fluid motion; his eyes found the lord's hard stare, and he nodded once.

"The Shikon miko."

Aoi had expected he'd be summoned once she came to the castle, ever since the council made their plans known to him over a moon cycle ago. There was a slim possibility his implicit part could be unnecessary, but from what he'd learned of the miko thus far – through covert observation – Aoi doubted it. She was not someone to be coerced or intimidated by authority, and the Western Council held no true power over her.

As if the mere mention of the woman was amusing, lord Kokuten chuckled.

"Mm, yes." Kokuten's fingers rubbed his chin lazily, but his stare was a lash of intensity. "She is our chosen candidate for Sesshōmaru's mate, yet there has been much debate and opposition. You are to be by her side at all times and report her activities back to us."

Aoi's chin dipped. It was distasteful, duplicitous, but well within his capabilities. A woman should never have to mate for politics and prestige, much less be forced into it, however common the practice was among nobility. Then again, he was not the decision-maker, merely the instrument of the council's will. _Just like my father_. Bitterness saturated his tongue, slid down his throat to churn in a mass low in his abdomen. His father –

"And by that, we do mean _everything_. You are a clever pup. It shouldn't be too hard for you to delve into the little miko's mind and unmask her schemes."

Kokuten's voice brimmed with suggestion, _too_ sly. Aoi wasn't beyond using cunning means to achieve his purpose when the situation called for them, but he always did so with the West's best interests in mind. There was no need for violence and torment when information could be gained by more innocuous means, even pleasurable. Still, in this case, he couldn't quite convince himself that deceiving a woman into spilling her secrets was for the benefit of the clan. She had never harmed them, posed no threat, and probably never would.

It was more difficult than before, but Aoi's neck still tilted in a stiff nod.

"Understood."

He would have executed another bow and turned to leave had the sole female in their midst not spoken for the first time.

"Do you _truly_ understand, pup?"

Inukimi's eyes slashed through him – gold liquescent, canny glint and warning. _Seduce but do_ not _touch._ Aoi saw it in that glint of her irises, heard it in her sharp intonation.

Teeth gnashing, poise rigid, he nodded one last time.

"Yes, my lady."

She hummed behind the feathers of her fan, gaze gleaming with satiety.

"Good."

* * *

A yawn threatened to escape Kagome's throat. Her cheek burrowed against her palm, leaning precariously, her elbow slipping under the weight. _Four hours_. She had been enduring another of Sachira's tedious yet most thorough lessons on the glorious history of the West for four hours. Without pause. Without food. A variety of sounds fell off of the seam of her mouth whenever Sachira deigned to ask if she was listening, ranging from hums to grunts to groans. Why she'd ever allowed Sesshōmaru's devious mother to trick her into this was beyond her. Kagome should have flatly refused, packaged her things, and left this trap-infested castle. Never to return. Her obligation to Sesshōmaru out of past camaraderie and sympathy to his predicament only extended so far.

The door was slid open then, and someone walked inside. Subtle, quiet movement. If Kagome hadn't been out of her mind with boredom and starving for distraction of any kind, she probably wouldn't have noticed it. _Him_. The yōkai wore the armor of the palace soldiers, but the aura he exuded was somehow… _different_. Smoother. Insidious. He was tan skin and decadence, wrapped in silk and metal. Her gaze trailed across his face, drank in all the little details that made him so…irresistible – lips wickedly curled, danger with a smirk, raw appeal and eyes such a dark shade of blue that they were almost black. There was _something_ in those eyes – visceral temptation, luring her close, and closer, until it was too late to escape…and underneath that, another tone of _black_ lurked, chillingly similar to the kind in a predator's eyes.

Another sound spilled out of her throat, unlike any she'd made so far – something between a gasp and a moan, drawn-out and heavy with the stirrings of arousal. His mouth curled more; his eyes pulled her in deep. And Sachira was _still_ prattling.

"– that the great Inu no Taishō's grandfather triumphed over the Kamekiri clan and took possession of their lands. The Kamekiri clan head was banished from the Western lands and his clan pledged loyalty to the –" Pause. Glare. "Miko."

More than a little dazed, gaze half-lidded and glazed, Kagome sighed.

"Mhm?"

"Regain control over your wayward attention."

Sachira's snippy remark washed over her like a bucket of cold water. Kagome finally drew her eyes away from that man, flushed, near breathless. She'd have made some ridiculous excuse, but her uptight tutor wasn't done.

"Males are henceforth barred from lessons," Sachira decreed, voice gone arctic.

The way she stared at the male yōkai, full of contempt, how her features hardened like steel, told Kagome there was another kind of history there. Sachira…loathed him. Not that the man seemed to care. One slant of his neck, and he was gone. Kagome wasn't sure how to react to this strange encounter, hence she settled for another sigh. And Sachira carried on like he had never been there.

One excruciatingly long hour later, Kagome was blissfully released out of Sachira's clutches. Her feet had barely made it past the threshold of her torture chamber when a voice filtered in her ears, rasp-licked and sinfully low.

"Kagome-sama."

 _That man…_ A crick racked her neck with the speed she turned her head toward his direction. What poured out of her mouth was nothing but a murmur and bewilderment.

"You are the guard Sachira…kicked out."

He inclined his neck, and Kagome took note of how tall he really was up close. _Too close_. Instinctively, hesitantly, she took a step back.

"My name is Aoi, my lady, and I am to be your personal guard."

"My personal guard?" She mulled over the last part, bemused. Then cognition sank its claws into her languished brain. A slim brow rose mockingly. "Do they distrust me so much to leave me wandering alone in the castle? Or do they think I need protection even inside these walls?"

Something flashed in his eyes – perhaps amusement, perhaps respect, or even a mixture of both.

"It is merely protocol, my lady."

Nothing but a lie, they both knew that. Ever since her arrival, the whole castle had been in unrest. Many eyes tracked her movements with the raptness of a hawk; many tongues slithered with venomous threats. Sesshōmaru was rather…popular with members of the female sex – and they were rather…possessive. Kagome's lips twisted wryly.

"Liar." She peered at him under thick lashes, yet there was no vice in her words, merely conviction. "I have eyes and ears, you know."

A scintilla lit his eyes. Even though there was laughter in his gaze, his tone was serious.

"Pardon my indiscretion. It will not happen again."

Kagome sighed then huffed. Her eyes bored into his, calm, eerily so. "I'm tired of all these rules and ploys and whispers. If you are going to be my guard then you should know that I don't tolerate lying."

His mien sobered; his spine straightened. It appeared Aoi had just acknowledged her.

"Understood," was all he said.

"Good." A smile bloomed on her face then, open and bright but weary. "I'm famished. Can we sneak into the kitchen so I can whip up a light snack?"

Aoi stared at her for lagging seconds, brows creased, as if the thought of her cooking was preposterous.

"The cooks will not be pleased…but yes." Sensuality wove into his expression once more. "As long as it is an order, I will obey."

It rattled her, the way he enunciated his last sentence, near purring, dipped in undertones he shouldn't, mustn't –

Shivers lathered on her skin. "It's not an order…just a request." She more muttered than spoke, nerves frazzled and heart pulsing erratically, on the brink of fleeing from his presence and the sensations he awoke inside her.

A slow grin split the curve of his lips. His gaze lowered to where her heart was beating out of control, stroked the swells of her breasts, languid, thick with invitation.

"If you are to be the lady of this castle then you need to become accustomed to giving orders. Yōkai do not respond to kindness but sovereign."

This gave her pause, tempered the drum of that treacherous organ. Kagome gazed up and into his eyes, speculative.

"You are saying I need to be authoritative if I want to rule over the West?"

One easy nod. "Naturally."

A bark of laughter erupted from her throat. "It's good that I have no grand ambitions of ruling anything then."

Before Aoi could begin an argument or tempt her with his daring tongue, Kagome spun around with a clear destination. The kitchen.

Aoi's laughter licked at her heels, made things tingle and burn inside, masculine sound, forbidden. And Kagome knew she was irrevocably doomed.

* * *

Shock and upheaval greeted Kagome's declaration of wanting to prepare a meal for herself once they reached the kitchen. Many of the younger yōkai crawled out of sight, almost terrified. But the head chef, a wizened kuma yōkai, held her ground and refused to let Kagome even touch anything. It went against her pride as the royal cook, she'd said, right before she sat Kagome down, gave her the most beautiful chopsticks Kagome had ever seen, adorned with flower patterns and silver, and told her to wait till she prepared something for her. Aoi had remained a silent guard throughout the entire altercation, but Kagome could feel waves of amusement emanating from his side. More tired, hungrier than ever, she plopped herself down and waited patiently, if a bit grudgingly.

Her stomach made a disgruntled growl, and she sighed. Distraction was an absolute necessity.

"About Sachira…" she mumbled, gaze darting toward her tall statue of a guard. "Does she despise males in general or you in particular?"

Aoi kept quiet, but it was another kind of silence, more contemplative. His mouth parted for a humorless chuckle then.

"It is hard to tell. She disapproves of promiscuity and favors discretion in her chosen partners. Her particular dislike in my case may stem from the fact that my sire used to be one of those partners. Though he and I share many physical traits, we differ in personality. She may find that…displeasing."

Kagome's eyes softened. It was quite facile to guess that his dry sarcasm was associated with the memory of his father rather than Sachira's antipathy. She inched closer, smiled up at him – mellow curve of lips and interest.

"What was your father like?"

His neck craned back; the back of his head hit the wall with a mute _thump_. Kagome followed the motion, riveted by the exposure of _perfect_ skin, watched as the cords in his neck tightened and stretched with each breath he took. A rise and fall of his Adam's apple, and he was speaking.

"He was a soldier… Captain of the guard squad, austere, taciturn, and with a high sense of honor. But he was harsher on himself than he was with others. He also served as Sesshōmaru-sama's instructor when his sire passed away, and I believe that is the reason our lord greatly resembles him in character."

Words unsaid snaked into the space between them. Kagome was the one to give them voice.

"But you don't."

His gaze lowered to her level, careful eyes but steeped in emotion. Kagome recognized it too easily, painfully – she had gorged herself on it for years. _Inadequacy_.

"I was rebellious in my youth. Everyone was so prone to make comparisons, and deep down I knew I could never be like my father or even measure up to him, that I acted out on impulse. Just to prove them right, so they would stop talking behind my back every time my father and I shared the same room. If no one has expectations of you, it is easier to breathe."

 _Ah. Breathe_. _Yes_. It was such a natural function yet so elusive. Teeth bit the inside of her lip, clamped down and bled the soft flesh. Feelings Kagome thought she'd locked away in the past came crashing down, and she closed her eyes, inhaled deeply. She wasn't the same person anymore, that insecure girl who'd leapt down the mystical well and fallen in love with a hanyō whose heart would always belong to another. Comparisons were odious and air was precious – a curse and a gift. Her lids lifted; her lungs expanded. Kagome savored the taste of air, crisp and liberating, then shared it with Aoi.

"Despite all your differences, you did follow after his footsteps. I have heard nothing but murmurs of respect and admiration during my short stay here. The captain of the guards is an honorable man…if a bit indulging with female company, or so the rumors say. Or did you think I wouldn't notice, _Captain_?"

She grinned a sassy grin, mischief molded into an expression – and he laughed. It rubbed on her skin, wound around her body, sentient, rousing.

"It was not a secret. You merely did not ask what my position was."

"I'll give you that."

Despite heat melting in her veins, rush after rush of sultry blood, her smile was hopelessly sweet. "I'm sure your father would be proud if he could see you now."

His gaze became hooded, and this time, Aoi hid from her smile.

"I highly doubt that, but thank you."

* * *

The last dark of the night overlaid tendrils of light, struggling to break through, to announce the dawning of another day. Everything was quiet in the Western shiro, perhaps too quiet – for a mere human's perception. Kagome swung her feet off the fur-lavished futon, unfurled with languorous motions. Yōki slithered sinuously, pulsed with subtle fluctuations, primal, fused with animal instinct. It was but a slice of power, leashed, focused on training – and _familiar_ , titillating her awareness. Aoi was using the outdoors training grounds, as he always did for the past two weeks he'd been her private guard. Kagome usually overslept though, thus missing the chance to witness such a display. But now opportunity presented itself before her, and she'd be a fool not to take it. Kagome sidled to the window, cast down eyes still clouded with sleep. What she saw there wrenched her out of her stupor, wide awake.

Metal sliced the air in a succession of graceful arcs, gleaming with lethal edge. His body stretched, twisted with fast motions. The fact that his torso was devoid of clothing assisted in her perusal. Sleek, lithe muscles. Raw, tethered bellicosity. Electricity sparked down her nerve endings, from her nipples to her belly down to her toes. Fire sizzled and raged, pooled like magma and spilled in that cleft between her thighs. _Lust_ …slick and burning and demanding. _She wanted him_ – wanted to lick the salt of his sweat, inch by inch of dark, delicious skin. A moan trembled on her lips, turned into a yelp when a distinct _knock_ resounded in the otherwise silent room.

"Miko." Sesshōmaru's voice was the last thing she wanted to hear right now. "May I come in?"

Still seething with unspeakable sensations, unsatisfied, damn near aching, she sighed. "Go right ahead."

Sesshōmaru took one step into the room…and stilled. She arched a brow, vaguely intrigued.

"I could have waited until you were decent."

A frown wedged itself between her brows. She _was_ wearing clothes, albeit a tank top and cotton shorts, comfortable sleepwear.

"I _am_ decent."

His lips thinned, and though he didn't say more on the matter, the way he inhaled slowly spoke volumes.

 _Oh…that's what he meant._ Too late. There wasn't much Kagome could do to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation. Hence, she shook her head, almost defeated. The man she wanted was nowhere in sight and the man who was here…glowered at her.

"Why are you here at the crack of dawn, Sesshōmaru?" A jarring thought struck her viciously. "Please tell me it's not yet time for _that_?"

 _That_ alluded to their weekly exchange of bodily fluids, as Sesshōmaru had so eloquently relayed to his brother. Oh, the things she did for obligation's sake. If she'd known things would have turned out like this, Kagome would have never stepped foot in this deranged place. Not that she didn't _want_ to do those things exactly… _with Aoi_. And _more_.

"No." Sesshōmaru's reply was too quick, but at least he was no longer scowling.

Kagome prompted him to continue with a raised brow, and he did, however stiffly.

"It has come to my attention that your guard may hinder our plans." The gold of his eyes was lacquered with warning. "He is not to be trusted."

It took her aback, both his abrupt change and what he revealed.

 _Aoi –?_ "How so?"

"Mother is not the only one with spies in this court. Your guard has been reporting to the Council quite frequently after his appointment to your side."

His words extinguished the vestiges of arousal in her bloodstream. Gaze narrow, full of suspicion, she was the one to glower at him now.

"Are you accusing my guard of espionage? If so, choose your words carefully."

Sesshōmaru remained unfazed before her displeasure.

"I never speak absent proof, miko."

She knew this to be true – she _knew_ , and yet… Kagome didn't want to believe it, desperately wished Sesshōmaru would be wrong for once. A sigh whooshed out of her lungs, heavy and laden with misery. There was only one thing left for her to do.

"Fine, I'll talk to him."

Sesshōmaru's features tensed with imperceptible signs, thin lines ridging his forehead and the corners of his mouth.

"What do you expect to gain by conversing with the enemy?"

Lips pursed, nose wrinkled, Kagome gave in to a small huff.

"He's not my enemy, Sesshōmaru. Quite the contrary… He's the only one who's treated me with a modicum of respect ever since I came here." She cut him with a glare when he made to interrupt. "If what you say is true then I at least want to hear it from his mouth."

It was a blessing he didn't pursue the matter. Tension leached out of him, but Kagome could tell he thought her daft for even holding a sliver of hope…that he could be _wrong_.

"Do as you please."

* * *

The hums of metal and yōki stopped long before Kagome entered Aoi's line of vision. If he was surprised by her unexpected intrusion, Aoi hid it pretty well, but she knew he was.

"Hey." A clumsy smile slathered her features, uncertain vibes. "Am I interrupting your practice?"

Muscles flexed and unflexed, hot-slicked and so hard, an utterly erotic sight. Kagome swallowed thickly when he flashed a half-grin.

"Apologies. I did not think you would wake so early or I would have finished sooner."

Her brows knitted into a fraction of a frown. "Enough of that. You're entitled to some time for yourself." She waved a hand emphatically. "You're not my guard dog, you know."

His grin grew wider, rows of white teeth and something devilish, _eager_.

"I am _exactly that_."

It was too suggestive, layered with smokiness… _too much_. Wetness dripped and spilled where hip fused with thigh. Her lips drew tight, shackled the impulse to just let go and to hell with it. She _was_ going to hell – she _wanted_ to burn in hellfire. In the end, what she spoke wasn't much different.

"Anyway, I don't mind waiting till you finish."

Aoi studied her closely, intently. "No."

 _Madness_ – his voice, his eyes, everything. Kagome didn't even register what he said for a second. But it was nothing compared to what came next.

"I told you before, Kagome-sama. If you _want_ something then you need to _order_ it."

How he accented those two words, full of purr and overtone, was unfair. A feeling of vertigo gripped her, lightheadedness. She licked her lips, dizzy with desire.

"I don't –"

"If it pleases you to watch me train, give me the command."

Teeth joined the motions of her tongue, nibbled the reddened flesh. Her eyes traced the contours of his body. Slow. Deliberate.

"Continue."

It was more of a plea and less than an order, too breathy and swollen with need. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Only the rumble that coursed under strung skin, rippled over hard muscle, pure throat sound.

She _almost_ hissed. Aoi cocked his head to the side, gave an impish grin, and _obeyed_. Watching him train at such close distance made everything more potent – the lust of his skin, the moisture at the juncture of her hips and thighs, raw sensation, self-willed and throbbing with precipitance. It was making her gravitate toward things she really _shouldn't_ fantasize – like how his tongue would feel on –

Her eyes squeezed shut and she purged all thought lest she open her mouth and blurt out the insanity that dwelt within. Kagome was shaking with light tremors by the time Aoi deemed she had enough and put an end to the sensational torture. She offered him a flask of water mechanically, not even daring to look up. His fingers brushed hers, warm, calloused, a warrior's fingers, and she felt faint again. How those long fingers would feel _inside_ –

"Thank you, my lady."

His voice snapped her out of the mental agony she was experiencing, and this time, she did hiss.

"Stop calling me that."

Kagome was anything _but_ a lady with the thoughts that crossed her mind.

"Better. You are improving." It took her a few seconds to piece the meaning of his words together. When she finally did, dark color smeared on her cheekbones, slinked down her neck and over the curves of her breasts. _Orders_. "What should I call you then?"

Kagome stared up and into his eyes – distention of black-slit pupils and provocation. He was sin personified. The way his lips split, insidiously curled, told her he was aware of _everything_. If this was the game he wanted to play, Kagome would oblige. Binding herself with denial earned her nothing, no dominion, no release. Perhaps his method would allay this nefarious want, or perhaps she was beyond salvation.

She spoke slowly, languidly.

"Kagome."

Satisfaction coiled in his grin, dripped down the points of his canines.

"Kagome-sama."

She near growled, vexation above a gritting of teeth.

" _Kagome_."

He was _close_ , much closer than he had been – Kagome could even distinguish the merging of black and blue in his eyes, iris from pupil.

"Kagome- _sama_."

His scent wafted in her nose, rich spices and skin, creamy and narcotic. Kagome was losing the battle in every aspect – will, lust, control. A sigh crept up her throat, crawled out piqued and resigned.

"So much for following orders."

It was over in an instant.

"Some orders can get a man killed." His grin unraveled to a smile, overloaded with qualities vastly discrepant to the vibes he radiated before. It was strained and forlorn and twined with remorse. "And I am not my father."

Aoi turned his back and headed to the direction of the baths, leaving her stunned, numb. Only later did she recall her conversation with Sesshōmaru and the true purpose of her coming down to the training grounds. By then it was far too late to rectify her blunder nor did she want to. Not when she'd seen that expression on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Aoi stood before the council members' dais. Grim-faced, steel-spined. Inukimi's gaze was chilling, frost of gold, her yōki ominously keen.

"It appears you _didn't_ understand, pup."

"Pardon me, my lady." Aoi's head lowered in a bow, gesture reflexive, apology empty, polite condescendence. "I have done nothing but obey your orders."

"Is that what you call it?" She huffed behind her fan, gaze chillier, yōki keener. "The miko is besotted with you." A quirk of lips, odious mirth. "The scent of her arousal reaches even our noses every time she comes near you."

"Was that not your intention?" Despite that his words were respectful, Aoi's tone was anything but. "Sesshōmaru-sama has taken note of it, and is quite concerned. He went as far as to warn her. Surely, soon, his patience will wane, and he _will_ pursue her favor openly."

Aoi was tired of playing this game with these senile relics, and more to the point, _he_ was the besotted one in this equation. Aoi… _wanted_ that woman, Kagome – to _be his_. Council schemes and political ambitions and the Western heir be damned. There was no other explanation as to why he'd dare defy the council for her favor. He was irrevocably, and hopelessly, in love with her. If his father were alive to see him now, he'd order him to die in battle to rid their line of this shame, and if there was no battle to be fought…he'd condemn him to exile. And Aoi couldn't care less.

"What if it is too late by then?" Inukimi's features marred into something less pretty, and she shook her head. "No. No, it is too jeopardous."

Lords Seiji and Kokuten leaned on either side of her, whispered in her ears, though Aoi saw no need for such hauteur – they all knew he could hear them perfectly. It was more mockery than secrecy.

"You are hereby relieved of your duties as the miko's personal guard."

It was lord Seiji who spoke but lord Kokuten gave the punishment Aoi was sure would follow. As always.

"And you _will_ serve a sentence for your misconduct. Shall we say…ten hours under Benirui's care?"

Aoi grew stiff at the name of the royal torturer. Benirui was…a pure sadist – she took pleasure in the torment she delivered. Sexual pleasure, among others. She was one of the few females Aoi would rather not spend quality time with, if given the choice. Still, his back bowed, and he gave nothing but forbearance.

"As you decree."

* * *

Something _heavy_ and _hot_ was smothering her, suffocation and scorching fire. An inferno engulfed her, and Kagome came awake with a cry. Sesshōmaru was poised above her, a mere breadth's away, anger so intense it manifested into heat. It was startling, lacking reason but loaded with intent.

"S-Sesshōmaru –?"

Kagome stared into his eyes, pinned beneath him with nothing but the force of his presence – and his rage.

"What did you do with your guard, miko?"

Each word was punctuated and eerily calm. Kagome blinked once, processed his words, but no matter how she twirled them in her mind, they still made no sense.

"I – _what_?"

"Speak, woman." A snarl this time.

"Nothing." Kagome shrank away from the feel of his anger but didn't cower. It was more…precaution than fear. "I did _nothing_ with Aoi. What has gotten into you?"

She couldn't tell what made the difference – her mellow tones, the sincerity behind her answer, that she didn't fight him – but his wrath dissipated, ebbed into embers and the slightest frown. Slowly, he removed himself from her bed, stepped back and unfurled to his full height.

"The captain is being detained in the dungeons as we speak. I assumed the elders forced this punishment on him for…untoward dalliances."

The reason for this rude, and utterly uncalled for, awakening smelted her caution, softened it into calescent metal and re-forged it into a blade of taunt and outrage.

"You mean you thought he slept with me."

His silence was answer enough. Either way, it didn't matter, not after the news he'd pelted her with. _Aoi is being punished? For something to do with_ me _?_ If that was the case then there was only one thing that could have resulted in this. Aoi had refused to play double spy on her anymore – and he had chosen _her_. The realization flooded her insides. Warmth and fury amassed low in her stomach, coalesced into molten magma. Her gaze returned to Sesshōmaru's face, noted how his impassive veneer was etched in place once more, but she had no mind to analyze his behavior.

"What is the protocol for such occasions, Sesshōmaru?"

Her voice was as cold as she was hot inside. He observed her quietly, closely, for a few seconds then spoke his findings.

"You want his sentence lifted."

Kagome didn't trust herself to do more than nod and throw some clipped words at him.

"He didn't do anything to deserve it."

The words he flung at her next made her take better notice of him.

"The elders must have gathered he did."

A black brow rose, eyes narrow, curious.

"You…agree with them?"

"No." Succinct, quick-spoken, and telling her more than he'd ever share.

Kagome had suspected that there was more to Sesshōmaru's unorthodox proposal the more time she spent in his company, that maybe he wasn't as averse to this mating as he'd have her believe, or at least not as much as he originally was. But subtlety wasn't her strong suit, and she had no way of broaching the matter without him taking it as an insult or arrogance on her part – and so she had refrained. It was time to clarify things once and for all, though. Now more than ever. If Aoi _had_ chosen her over the West then Kagome couldn't even contemplate the possibility of a future with Sesshōmaru, not that she ever had, but one never knew what the future held in store. Aoi came first though. Always would – in _everything_.

"Good." She smiled but it was less smile, more contortion of lips. "Then tell me how to get him out of it."

His chin dipped, and if Kagome strained her ears, she could have sworn that he almost… _sighed_. Nothing compared to the shock that lanced through her at his solution though.

"This charade must come to an end. I have kept silent too long, and they have grown arrogant."

"You can't mean –" Her mouth fell open and out spilled disbelief, a barrage of incredulity. "What about your lands? _You_ are supposed to be Lord of the West. It's your birthright and privilege, not to mention, you are best suited for it. Inuyasha is a disaster waiting to happen if he takes over. _Seriously_. It will be the end of the West."

A small shake of his head, as final and unyielding as his decision. "They can do what they will. I am done being a mindless piece on their shōgi board."

Kagome stared at him with eyes still wide, still digesting, until the impact of it all receded, respect paving the way to acceptance. She smiled again, and this time, it was warm, albeit a little teasing.

"If things don't work out…you can stay with us in the village. Rin-chan will be happy to have you there, too."

Sesshōmaru gave her his signature _hn_ but it was lighter, recalcitrant to its nature, as if it wasn't supposed to be a grunt but something else entirely.

* * *

Kagome could barely suppress her snickering as they made their way into the dungeons, despite being aware of how inappropriate it was, given the situation and their purpose for coming. The look on Sesshōmaru's haughty excuse of a mother when her son announced he'd rather step down and live as a nomad than listen to one more word of her cunning lips was priceless. Even more so when she burst into crocodilian tears and lamented her choice of not having another pup. Kagome's amusement reached its zenith when Sesshōmaru bluntly remarked this was due to his father choosing a human's bed over hers than her own choice. It had all regressed into hysterics after that, with Seiji and Kokuten withdrawing the mating offer and Inukimi throwing a tantrum of gargantuan proportions, not that Sesshōmaru even batted a lash.

Her snickering was cut off abrupt when they finally reached the dungeons' entrance, though. It was pitch-black – an endless maze splitting into narrow offshoots, culminating claustrophobia and leading deep down into the dark heart of the caves. Kagome latched onto Sesshōmaru's kimono sleeve, giving him absolute trust in direction. Her mind was plagued with apprehension, and concern. _For Aoi_. It wasn't until she had stepped foot into the caves that reality had firmly gripped her. The dungeons were the _torturer's_ lair.

"I can't see anything… Aren't there supposed to be torches or something on the walls?"

Kagome had stumbled over a protruding root for the third time, and Sesshōmaru's quiet nature didn't help things either.

"Not in yōkai dungeons."

His tone was gentler than usual, his hold on her tighter now than the first time she'd stumbled. Kagome chewed her bottom lip, smiled at him, sure he could see it despite the blackness that obstructed _her_ vision.

"Thank you. How much farther is it?"

"Not far. But you should not come with –"

Laughter echoed in the dank space, cackling cacophony and cruelly accented, feminine. Kagome stopped dead in her tracks.

"What was that?"

Sesshōmaru's fingers unwrapped hers from his sleeve, but he was too tense… _angry_. He emitted more heat than even when he'd barged into her bedroom and accused her of sleeping with Aoi a few hours earlier.

"Stay here and wait, miko. I will release the guard." And he was gone.

Minutes, maybe even hours, passed. Kagome had lost perception of time in this black hole. The density of the air was making her lightheaded, wary. She was a knot of nerves and uncertainty when tendrils of yōki brushed against her senses coolly.

"Sesshōmaru…is that you?"

Long fingers circled her wrist, anchored her to his body, but merely that. Sesshōmaru spared neither words nor gestures as he retraced his steps out of the caves with Kagome in tow, and she was oddly reluctant to break the silence. His yōki was killing instinct, so pure that it sliced through flesh and bone with phantom edge. As for Aoi's, it was mixed with something else, pulsed with an irregular pattern, as if he had no control over its fluctuations.

Only when they reached the entrance did Sesshōmaru release her. The midday sun was a glare burning her retinas yet most welcome. Kagome blinked the sting away, adjusted to the sunlight's luminosity, then reached for what she guessed was Aoi flung over Sesshōmaru's shoulder.

"Aoi –?" Her touch was light, careful, ghosting over his clothes. When he didn't stir, she pressed harder. Something wet and sticky coated her fingers. _Blood_. Kagome knew what it was before she snatched her hands back, steeped in his blood. Lips drawn tight, she gave a curt nod when Sesshōmaru cast down eyes umbrous and hard, and they began walking.

Once Aoi was laid over the fur bedding in her chambers and his injuries tended – a mélange of gashes and fractures and _blood_ …so much blood – Kagome finally snapped.

" _What_ have they done to him?"

"It is nothing but flesh wounds. They will heal in less than a day."

Sesshōmaru's yōki betrayed the apathy in his expression. It blazed hotly, was strong enough to give her a sunburn if she stood too close to him.

"That's not the point." Even her protest was half-hearted, lukewarm. Kagome didn't want to argue with him when they shared the same sentiments to begin with.

They remained silent guards over Aoi's body for the better part of the afternoon, with Kagome daubing his wounds gently since Sesshōmaru advised against binding them – then the daiyōkai did something she'd never see coming, not in a million years. He broached the subject of their quirky relationship _on his own._

"What are your plans now, miko?"

There was a certain inflection in his voice, softer vibes, and that was how _she knew_. Kagome didn't even have to ponder on her reply.

"I will stay until Aoi heals. I owe that much to him."

It wasn't a lie but not the truth either. She wanted to leave the castle, yes. But she wanted to leave _with Aoi_.

"You will return to your pack."

Sesshōmaru might as well have substituted that _you will_ with _do not_. It was painfully clear to hear. Still, she'd give him the chance to say it himself. It was what she owed to _him_.

"Is there any reason for me to stay?"

His eyes were gold shackles – and then he spoke, low and laden with gravity.

"Your presence has not been…unpleasant."

Kagome smiled a rueful smile.

"You and I can't work, Sesshōmaru. We'll be at each other's throats more often than not. You know this." A stretching of lips, and mischief. "But I don't dislike you either."

"Hn."

Sesshōmaru left her chambers, and Aoi woke the next morning.

* * *

Wakefulness scraped Aoi's mind with sharp claws, and he groaned. His body felt sluggish, his skin stretched too tight and stinging in places. Muscles and joints clenched, pulled at the closing wounds with every flex and groan. Slowly, his lids rose, focused on the vast ceiling. Motes of light flickered, swam in his line of vision. The furs beneath him were so soft and warm but not his. Everything was drenched in _her_ scent. Aoi licked his dry lips then tried to speak. All that came out was a grunt that resembled her name. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Kagome…sama?"

She was beside him in an instant, shadow of a woman, hovering close. The furs dipped under her weight; Kagome leaned over him, hands small and cupping his cheeks, then she was pressing something against his lips.

"Shh. Take it easy. Here, water."

Aoi hadn't realized how parched he was until cool water filled his mouth and slid down his throat. He swallowed greedily, thankful. When he'd slaked his thirst, his eyes found hers, his lips curved in a quarter of a smile.

"This is not the dungeons."

"Obviously." Her voice was as wry as her chuckle, but he could still see worry lining her features.

Aoi half-lifted himself off the bedding, resting his back against the lush furs. There was a twinge of pain but nothing intense. When his gaze trailed down his chest, most of the lashes had stopped bleeding, nothing more than thin-red slashes. Those on his back were probably the same. It was expected after his deep slumber, but that didn't answer why he was in her chambers and not still in the dungeons at the mercy of Benirui's thorn-whip.

"What happened?"

Mischief lit her eyes, made their blue striking… _beautiful_. She snickered, all too satisfied.

"Sesshōmaru appeared before the Council and…gave it to them raw."

"Heh." Aoi had an inkling of what that entailed, and was almost regretful to have missed it. That Sesshōmaru would challenge the council's authority was a development Aoi hadn't expected either. A rather refreshing novelty.

Her head bobbed once, twice. "Yeah. It felt good." Lips bitten, wickedly amused, she hummed.

She was like the cat who ate the canary and was now licking at her whiskers. Aoi couldn't help but laugh at that. "I imagine so."

Her mouth split wide, bearing rows of perfect, white teeth. "You have no idea."

Aoi had more than one idea, more than she could ever guess, but he only cared for _one_. His eyes bored into hers, intent. Hope-ridden.

"Does that mean you are no longer his intended?"

"Yup. I'm free to go."

Her smile was brilliant, made him want to trace it with his tongue just to see if it tasted like sunshine. Wistful thinking on his part. Aoi shook his head, exhaled a long sigh.

"I see," was all he said.

Her brows creased, as if this wasn't what she wanted to hear, but her eyes shone with teasing. She inched closer, tilting her neck, coyness under thick lashes.

"What's with that face? Are you gonna miss me?"

Aoi stared at her quietly – the curve of her cheekbones, the flutter of her lashes, how her lips puckered, begging to be kissed and sucked and nibbled.

"Yes." The word was out of his mouth before he could stop it, and he was dragging her on his lap, nuzzling her neck, taking her scent deep into his lungs.

"Uh…Aoi?" She squirmed, voice gone breathy, hands gripping his shoulders, but she wasn't pushing him away.

"You will leave soon." He spoke it casually yet there was nothing casual about the way his lips moved, pressing, tasting. Her pulse was a wild beat at the base of her neck, and his tongue stroked there, languorous motions, back and forth. The sound she made, wanton and full of moan, thighs spreading and breasts swelling against his chest, nails digging into his skin, back arching and nipples hard – Aoi relished all of them, all of her, even her feeble protests.

"Yes…but –"

His mouth ceased its assault but for a moment, traveled up her neck, and latched onto the lobe of one small, curved ear.

"I want your scent on me." Growl of demand. Teeth nipped her ear, sensitive flesh captive and teased, elicited a gasp, more friction, more protests.

"You're injured."

He chuckled, soaked up her shivers at the sound. If that was her only reason then he needn't hold back.

"Almost healed." More purring than speech, more licking, another gasp, turned into a moan half-way through.

"Still…this is not the time or the place to be kinky."

Her hips bucked against him, belied her words, and _her scent_ –

Creamy, sweetness melting on his tongue, spiced with arousal and _now_. It was driving him mad, and he ground against her, made her arch, moan, writhe all over him.

"You smell _so good_."

Aoi was seconds from stripping her clothes to taste all that delicious skin, bite into every dip and swell of her body.

"Oh gods…" Her voice dripped with need. _She_ was dripping, wet and growing wetter, fabric drenched between them. The more he ground against her, the harder he pressed, the slicker she became, her scent more potent, urging him on.

"Stop that."

Laughter snaked across his tongue. Aoi smeared it along her cheekbone, one long, rough lick, then drew back to catch her eyes.

"Stop?"

She was staring at him as if she wanted to eat him, eyes gone dark with lust, barely conscious of her words. But he was the one who was going to _eat her_. Aoi wouldn't stop until she begged him to do just that.

"Yes…maybe."

His mouth crashed against hers before she could spout more of her cute nonsense, teeth prying her lips open, tongue delving inside, sinuous glide of tongue on tongue and hunger. She clung to him, palms on his neck and pulling him closer, knees sinking into the furs and body flush against his. Her skin was burning under his touch, inches and inches of silkiness. Aoi reached for the hem of her dress, hands slipping under it, tracing the outline of her thighs and swallowing her mewls with each squeeze he gave. High, and _higher_.

"Oooh." The first brush of his fingers had her moaning into his mouth, spine arced like a bowstring. "That feels…"

He sucked the words off her lips, the pads of his fingers rubbing just a little bit harder.

"How does it feel?"

Something flashed in her gaze at his question – spark of defiance, daring. She licked her lips, his taste on them, hands locking on his neck, making sure he was staring into her eyes while he touched her.

"You tell me."

"Soft." Fingers delving inside, maddeningly slow, knuckle by knuckle. "Wet." They sank and thrust, twisted and curled, in and out, against slick heat and nerves. "Tight."

Aoi meant every word. She was so damn _soft_ and _wet_ and _tight_ …and the way she hissed, neck thrown back and visceral reaction, the way she rode his fingers – he needed to be inside her. _Want you_ so much _– so much…_ But not yet, not before she –

"Don't…tease me."

Her eyes were fulgent edge and _fire_ , seething with want, naked. A smirk slashed across his cheek, and Aoi removed his fingers from the clasp of her body, languid withdrawal, agonizing.

"All you had to do was give the order."

She watched as he brought them to his mouth, tongue licking and coiling around them, one by one. Her taste…intoxication, raw honey, and _her voice_ –

"Give me what I want." Huskiness. Order.

His hands settled low on her hips, pushed her down on him. Hard.

"You will have to be more specific."

She was moans and impatience, hotness along the length of his erection, and he was _loving_ every sound and motion.

"You…"

One slow thrust.

"Yes?"

One choked gasp.

"Inside. I want _you_ inside me."

Another thrust. Another gasp.

"God damn." She leveled him with a glare, filled with lust and vexation. "I want your cock." One gyration of her pelvis, pressing down and deliberate. " _Inside me_."

A gritting of teeth and aggression, growl-licked, animal instinct. Then the sound of fabric being ripped, skin against skin, flesh inside flesh. Muscles gripping, the stretching of soft tissue, wetness and taking him in deep, and deeper. _Tight_ , so tight. Aoi gave her what she had all but screamed, nails sinking into her buttocks, biting her lips and holding her still.

When she started being restless, aching for more, begging him to _move_ , or let her move, Aoi leaned back…and grinned.

"Now _you_ tell me how that feels."

 

Kagome wanted to curse him. She was on the fringe of slick torture, drunk on his voice, that decadent rasp in it, when she felt him sinking inside. He was so hot and hard, and she had been teased to sizzling sensations, that she could only moan and writhe above him now. A mass of spasms and perspiration, coils of wet flesh and want around his cock. She waited for that thrust, half-crazed, out of control, and when it came, aggravation melted in a vortex of sensitivity, leapt out of her mouth in incoherent words and lust-screams.

"So deep – so good – Aoi…you." Then she was being flipped over on hands and knees, another thrust, more fullness, more stretching, panting and gasping and clawing at the damp furs. Her hips swiveled back, seeking the grinding of his pelvis, needing more of him, more of his cock. _More_. A lap of roughness, tongue dragging up her spine, lean body bending and folding over hers, sweat-slicked and caging her under him. Flushed, breathless, her eyes devoured the barest movement of his arms as they planted on either side of her head, skin taut over bulging muscle – then he rammed against her, and all thought abandoned her along with any decency she might have had.

"Gods, Aoi…fuck me." And Aoi did.

"You are fucking wet." His voice licked her ear, guttural and a little less retrained, hips surging, flesh burning. "And so tight."

Kagome shivered, head hung low between her shoulders, falling to her elbows. His cock was stroking her in all the right angles, stimulating places she didn't know existed. Moan after moan spilled out of her lips, broken vowels and pleas and _touch me_. One hand detached itself from the thick furs, wrapped around her breast, molding, kneading, nipple flicked and pinched between his fingers. She bit her lip, slinked lower, her forehead almost touching the furs, and those deft fingers trailed down her body, nails raking the flat of her stomach and over the jut of her hipbone, and lower still.

"Oh god." Languorous circles, rubbing and scraping against that throb of want above the flesh that pulsed and spasmed around him.

"Yes." Such ravishment, such dominance, in that one single word. That _yes_ fell heavy on her skin, seared the nape of her neck, palpitated inside her with each thrust of his cock, every brush of his fingers. Pleasure built and seethed and tightened. _Close_ , so close.

"I – I can't…I'm gonna –" Kagome was raptured raw, nothing but the hiss of muscles and flesh, on the verge of plunging over the edge. A twist of hips, a graze of nails, and she was coming undone with his name on her lips. Aoi was straightening up in the middle of her release, gripping her thighs, and through the haze, she felt the shudders, the groans, lust and male, thrusting too deep, shock after shock – until it turned into something else, near painful, too spent to take in more. Chest rising and falling, Kagome panted without breath, but that burn, that rawness spreading within –

 _So_ good _. Aoi…gods, so good._ Something needy and husky crawled out her throat as he was pulling back and out of her, a whimper. Then heat soaking her back. Her knees gave out, and she sank into the furs, boneless, sapped. Kagome barely noticed that Aoi had moved until cool, wet fabric slid softly across the line of her vertebrae, cleaning her up. Neck slanted, eyes glazed, she peered at him and spoke through tufts of fur.

"That was…gods, that felt –" Her voice faltered when Kagome made sense of what she was seeing. "You're bleeding."

His lips peeled back in a half-grin, no hint of pain. "You were well worth it."

Brows furrowed, she scowled at him. Mustering what little strength remained in her body, she snatched the towel he held.

"Don't give me that." Kagome clicked her tongue, hands on his shoulders, pushing him back on the furs. "You _are_ going to rest now." She cut him with a glare when his grin widened, almost mockingly, then an identical grin slathered on her lips. "And _then_ …you'll fuck me again."

Aoi laughed, his laughter arousing, lust composed into sound.

"Your will is my command."

And Kagome sipped that laughter from his lips. She'd be damned if she was leaving alone now.


End file.
